Surge chamber



E. K. CARVER SURGE CHAMBER Nov. 14, 1950 Filed Dec. 15, 1945 (PR/ORART) Emma K. Carl er INVENTOR BY Q AT ORNEYS Patented Nov. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES A E T OFF CE I SURGE CHAMBER Emmett K. Carver, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a l corporation of New Jersey i a r Application December 15, 1945, Serial No. 635,200

3 Claims. (01. 138-26) The present invention relates to a liquid pumping system, and more particularly to a surge chamber for such a system.

The principal objectof the invention is the provision of a surge chamber positioned directly in the line carrying the pumped liquid and in series therewith so that all the liquid flows through said chamber to provide a surge-free liquid stream upon discharge from the chamber.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a surge chamber which is so positioned that the inlet and outlet are normally arranged.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of 'a surge chamber which is simple in construction, rugged, of few parts, and highly efiicient in operation.

To these'andother ends, the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter and fully described, the novel features .being pointed out in the claims at the end of 'the Specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through a liquid conveying system showing the relation thereto of a surge chamber arranged according to the prior arts; and

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a Surge chamber arranged in accordance with the present invention.

Similar reference numerals throughout the various views indicate the same parts.

When liquids are pumped by almost any kind of a pump, for eXample,.a gear pump, a spiral screw pump, vane pump, or any other type of pump, it is almost certain that fluctuations in velocity or pressure will occur due either to imperfections in the design of the pump or tothe inherent nature of the pump used. For certain purposes, it is desirable to remove these fluctuations or surges. This is frequently done by the use of an air bell or surge chamber in which the liquid rises into the bell and compresses the air above it in such a way that this compressed air will act as a cushion absorbing the pressure peaks or surges caused by the intermittent impulses from the pump. Since the volume of this air bell must be great enough so that when the air in it is compressed to the pressure in the liquid stream, there will still be sufiicient volume to absorb the pressure fluctuations, these bells are wasteful of space.

To overcome this last difliculty, it is common through which the liquid is being pumped; This surge chamber has positioned therein an elongated deformable member or bag [4 preferably of flexible material into which compressedlairfor a suitable gas can be forced to inflate the bag, as shown. The open end of the bag is closed by a valve or other sealing means l5 to keep the compressed air or gas from leaking out, as is appa'r-l ent. The bag M is prevented from bursting'or expanding to too great a volume by enclosing it in a perforated metal container I6 which permits the impulses from the liquid to penetrate through the container and to collapse or deform the bag M. The surge chamber is thus-placed in a side arm relation with the main line l3, but the liquid does not flow through the surge chamber itself, as is readily apparent.

Now, when extreme smoothness is required, and when high velocity liquid streams are used, it is found that the inertia of the liquid in the side arm is suflicient to prevent the full action of the surge chamber and that the pressure fluctuations are not completely removed. This is not only because of the inertia of the liquid in the side arm and surrounding the pressurized chamber but it is also due to the varying momentum of the liquid 2 so that the pipe l3 causes the liquid being pumped therethrough to pass directly into the surge chamber through the inlet opening I! formed in the side wall 18 of the surge chamber.

The remote end wall 19 of the surge chamber is, in turn, provided with an outlet opening 20 which connects the surge chamber to a discharge pipe 2!. Thus the surge chamber II is connected in series with the pipes 13 and 2| and. all the liquid which is pumped passes through the surge chamber. While the inlet and outlet openings are shown as pipes l3 and 2| respectively, the liquid can be pumped in either direction through the surge chamber.

It has been found, however, that in addition to placing the surge chamber in series with the pumped liquid the eificiency may be still further improved if there is a change in direction of the liquid in passing through the surge chamber. For this reason the inlet and outlet pipes 13 and 2| connected to the surge chamber are normally arranged, as shown in Fig. 2. The arrangement shown in this figure has been proved by practical tests to be extremely useful and even necessary in certain clinical operations.

The present invention thus provides a surge chamber which is connected directly into the path of a flowing liquid and in series therewith to absorb pressure and/or velocity surges in the liquid to provide an even, surge-free liquid flow from the outlet or discharge end of the chamber. The inlet and outlet to the surge chamber are normally arranged to afford higher efficiency of operation. Where the term pressure surges is used in the claims, it is intended to cover any surges in the flowing liquid which may result from variations in pressure or velocity of the liquid.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood the inventive idea may be carried out in a number of ways. This application is, therefore not to be limited to the precise details disclosed, but intend to cover all variations and modifications thereof falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a liquid conveying system, the combina tion with an elongated sealed surge chamber, an elongated gas filled deformable member suspended in said chamber and initially inflated to a fixed pressure, of a liquid inlet and a liquid 1;

discharge pipe connected in spaced relation to and in series relation with said chamber and member so that all the liquid flowing through said pipes must flow through said chamber and over the surface of said member to deform the latter in response to pressure fluctuations of the liquid supplied to said chamber to eliminate pressure surges in said discharge pipe.

2. In a liquid conveying system, the combination with an elongated sealed surge chamber, an elongated gas-filled deformable member posiin response to pressure variations of the liquid in said inlet pipe to deliver surge-free liquid to said discharge pipe.

3. In a liquid conveying system, the combination with an elongated sealed surge chamber, an

elongated gas-filled deformable member positioned in said chamber and secured to one end thereof and initially inflated to a fixed pressure, of a liquid inlet pipe and a liquid discharge pipe connected to said chamber in a series relation with said chamber and said member, said pipes also being normally arranged so that all liquid which passes through said pipes must flow through said chamber and over said member to collapse the latter in response to pressure variation of the liquid and also change the direction of flow while passing through said chamber to deliver a surge-free liquid to said discharge.

EMMETT K. CARVER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 315,453 Waddell Apr. 7, 1885 435,927 Ginty Sept. 9, 1890 2,290,337 Knauth July 21, 1942 4.0 2,319,460 Johnston May 18, 1943 2,401,570 Koehler June 4, 1946 

